--- title: "How to Create a Secure Connection with Tailscale VPN" description: "Learn how to use Tailscale VPN to create a secure, private, and fast connection between networks in this ATA Learning tutorial!" canonical: "https://adamtheautomator.com/tailscale-vpn/" --- # How to Create a Secure Connection with Tailscale VPN > Learn how to use Tailscale VPN to create a secure, private, and fast connection between networks in this ATA Learning tutorial! Source: https://adamtheautomator.com/tailscale-vpn/ --- ATA Learning Tap to hide [ ATA Learning ](/) * [Home](/) * [Tutorials](/tutorials/) * [Instructors](/author/) * [Advertising](/advertising/) * [Recommended Resources](/resources/) * [About Adam](/about-adam/) Search for: * [](https://twitter.com/adbertram) * [](https://github.com/Adam-the-Automator) * [](https://www.linkedin.com/company/adam-the-automator-llc) * [](/feed/) ![How to Create a Secure Connection with Tailscale VPN](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/tailscale-vpn.jpg) # How to Create a Secure Connection with Tailscale VPN [![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/4147968aa2332aa682bcebf295e4e9d0eb2672dee3d9ae0523a00ac51e7d6017?s=192&d=mm&r=g)Bill Kindle](https://adamtheautomator.com/author/bill/)20 February 20234 min. read Categories: [IT Ops](/category/it-ops/) Tags:[Networking](/tag/networking/)[VPN](/tag/vpn/) Table of Contents * [Prerequisites](#prerequisites) * [Creating a Tailscale Account to Setup a Tailscale VPN](#creating-a-tailscale-account-to-setup-a-tailscale-vpn) * [Adding a Windows Node to the tailnet](#adding-a-windows-node-to-the-tailnet) * [Adding a Linux Node to the tailnet](#adding-a-linux-node-to-the-tailnet) * [Managing DNS via the MagicDNS](#managing-dns-via-the-magicdns) * [Conclusion](#conclusion) Creating a private, secure connection to your computers does not have to be complicated or expensive. With Tailscale VPN, gone are the days of needing to configure remote access appliances or firewall rules! In this tutorial, you will learn how an open-source service called Tailscale lets you build your virtual network. Read on, and add a layer of security for your online activity with your own VPN today! Tailscale helps secure private network access, but it does not remove personal details from data broker sites. If exposed personal records are the problem, compare [MyDataRemoval privacy monitoring and data broker removal workflows](https://goto.mydataremoval.com/c/1454808/2928977/34569) before paying for a personal data removal service. ## Prerequisites To follow along with the examples in this tutorial, you will need the following: * Two or more computers with Windows, Linux, or macOS – This tutorial uses Windows 10 and Linux (Ubuntu Desktop 22.04 LTS VM). Related:[How to Install Ubuntu 20.04 \[Step-by-Step\]](https://adamtheautomator.com/install-ubuntu/) * A [Google](https://google.com), [Microsoft](https://microsoft.com), or [GitHub](https://github.com) account. ## Creating a Tailscale Account to Setup a Tailscale VPN Creating a private network with Tailscale can be summed up in three steps: sign up for an account, add a machine to your [tailnet](https://tailscale.com/kb/1136/tailnet/) (your private network), and repeat the previous step. > 💡 _The difference between traditional [VPNs](https://adamtheautomator.com/wireguard-raspberry-pi/) and Tailscale is that Tailscale uses the [WireGuard](https://www.wireguard.com/) protocol. WireGuard is a connectionless modern VPN protocol. WireGuard utilizes [state-of-the-art cryptography](https://www.wireguard.com/protocol/), creating an encrypted point-to-point mesh network or tailnet between your configured devices._ Related:[How to Set Up a WireGuard Raspberry Pi VPN Server](https://adamtheautomator.com/wireguard-raspberry-pi/) To get started with Tailscale VPN, you first need to create a Tailscale account: 1\. Open your favorite web browser and head over to [Tailscale’s official website](https://tailscale.com/). 2\. Next, click **Use Tailscale for free**, as shown below, to start signing up for Tailscale. 💡 _Tailscale offers a [personal account for free](https://tailscale.com/pricing/), but there are paid plans, too, if you wish to test Tailscale out in a business setting. Paid plans provide even more enterprise-type features, such as additional [access control lists (ACLs)](https://tailscale.com/kb/1018/acls/)._ ![Choosing Tailscale’s free plan ](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/image-142.png) Choosing Tailscale’s free plan 3\. Sign up using an identity provider of your choice, and you will be logged in to Tailscale automatically. The identity provider will take care of the single sign-on (SSO) and MFA requirements (if you have configured MFA for the account). ![Signing up with the preferred identity provider ](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/image-143.png) Signing up with the preferred identity provider Once logged in, you will be presented with a welcome page, as shown below, since you still need to add a device. This page lets you choose an installation method for Tailscale that suits your needs. ![Overviewing the Tailscale welcome page](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/image-144.png) Overviewing the Tailscale welcome page ## Adding a Windows Node to the tailnet When setting up your Tailscale VPN, you first need to install Tailscale on your system, which later automatically creates your tailnet. 1\. On the Tailscale welcome page, choose **Windows** and click **Download Tailscale for Windows** to download Tailscale. ![Downloading Tailscale for Windows](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/image-145.png) Downloading Tailscale for Windows 2\. Open the Tailscale installer and install Tailscale on your system. ![Installing Tailscale](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/image-146.png) Installing Tailscale 3\. Once installed, click the Tailscale icon in your system tray, which opens a Tailscale login page on your default browser. ![Initiating Tailscale login](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/image-147.png) Initiating Tailscale login 4\. Now, sign in with your Tailscale account. ![Signing in to Tailscale](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/image-148.png) Signing in to Tailscale 5\. Once signed in, click **Authorize** to authorize the new node. > _Note that you can also [restrict access](https://tailscale.com/kb/1196/security-hardening/) using ACLs in Tailscale to prevent users from using machines in your tailnet or force a particular exit node to be used. You also get availability because the nodes connect to each other, not Tailscale servers._ ![Authorizing a new Windows node](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/image-149.png) Authorizing a new Windows node ## Adding a Linux Node to the tailnet You already added a Windows node on your tailnet, which is a great start. But to better understand how a Tailscale VPN works, install Tailscale on another machine, which later adds it to your tailnet. Installing Tailscale works via pre-built shell script or _.deb_ package. But in this tutorial, you will use the pre-built shell script. Related:[Comprehensive Guide to Install Deb Packages on Ubuntu](https://adamtheautomator.com/install-deb-packages-on-ubuntu/) 1\. Open your terminal, and run the following `curl` command to download and execute Tailscale’s installer script (`install.sh`) to install Tailscale on your system. ```bash curl -fsSL https://tailscale.com/install.sh | sh ``` ![Installing the Tailscale client for Linux via installer script](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/image-150.png) Installing the Tailscale client for Linux via installer script 2\. Once installed, run the below command to activate the daemon. `sudo tailscale up` ```bash sudo tailscale up ``` On the output, click the link provided, which opens a login page on your browser. ![Authenticating with the Tailscale account](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/image-151.png) Authenticating with the Tailscale account 3\. Lastly, click **Authorize** to authenticate using your Tailscale account. ![Authorizing the new Linux node ](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/image-152.png) Authorizing the new Linux node After adding at least two devices, Tailscale gives you an admin panel, as shown below. In this admin panel, you can work with users, access controls, monitor services, inspect logs, and manage DNS. All tailnet devices are connected instead of a single gateway. This feature results in lower latency and improved stability. Since Tailscale uses the WireGuard protocol, the traffic is already well encrypted. Even insecure protocols such as Telnet, VNC, FTP, and HTTP are secured with Tailscale. ![Viewing the Tailscale admin page](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/image-153.png) Viewing the Tailscale admin page ## Managing DNS via the MagicDNS Tailscale offers a service called [MagicDNS](https://tailscale.com/kb/1081/magicdns/), which makes Tailscale that much easier to use when configured. With MagicDNS, when enabled, connect with a hostname (friendly name) rather than the direct IP address. MagicDNS allows you to: * Although you always have a default name, such as `tail60892.ts.net`, you may [register a second “fun” name](https://tailscale.com/kb/1217/tailnet-name/). Tailscale generates several names to pick from when picking a name, but you can “re-roll” until you find one you like. * Add Global DNS nameservers or private nameservers, with the option to override local DNS and force clients to use the configured nameservers instead of their local DNS settings. * Allow users to issue HTTPS certificates for themselves while on your Tailnet. > _Note that if you have a “fun” domain and an issued HTTPS certificate, you cannot change that certificate to another “fun” domain name._ * [Taildrop](https://tailscale.com/kb/1106/taildrop/) provides a peer-to-peer (P2P) file transfer service to quickly and securely send files to other hosts within your tailnet. Of course, it can help to see an example of connecting to a machine in action as shown below. 1\. To see this in action, first navigate to the Administrative console and the DNS tab, to ensure that MagicDNS is enabled, as shown below. ![Managing DNS via the MagicDNS](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/image-154.png) Managing DNS via the MagicDNS 2\. Next, locate the name of your machine, below the machine is `bill-ubuntuvm`. ![ locate the name of your machine](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/image-155.png) locate the name of your machine Create a remote connection to the Tailscale machine. Here the connection is via SSH using a password, as noted by the `PubkeyAuthentication=no` setting (does not check available public keys when connecting). ![PubkeyAuthentication=no setting](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/image-156.png) `PubkeyAuthentication=no` setting ![Create a remote connection to the Tailscale machine](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/image-157.png) Create a remote connection to the Tailscale machine ## Conclusion Throughout this tutorial, you have learned how to add a layer of security to your network by creating a secure connection with the Tailscale VPN. [Security at Tailscale](https://tailscale.com/security/) is the solution to meet MFA and encryption requirements. At this point, you can confidently set up a VPN to establish a secure, encrypted connection between your devices and applications. Have you always wanted a private cloud that is inaccessible using the web? With this newfound knowledge, why not [self-host a private NextCloud instance](https://blog.briancmoses.com/2021/04/self-hosting-my-own-cloud-storage-freenas-nextcloud-and-tailscale.html) or connect your [Synology NAS](https://tailscale.com/kb/1131/synology/)? Or integrate with [Opensense](https://opnsense.org/) and [Pfsense](https://www.pfsense.org/) firewalls for added security? Related:[Turbo-Charge Document Management with Nextcloud Docker](https://adamtheautomator.com/nextcloud-docker/) Share this article [Share on X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fadamtheautomator.com%2Ftailscale-vpn%2F&text=How%20to%20Create%20a%20Secure%20Connection%20with%20Tailscale%20VPN)[Share on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fadamtheautomator.com%2Ftailscale-vpn%2F)[Share on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fadamtheautomator.com%2Ftailscale-vpn%2F) ## Related Posts ![](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/How-To-Set-Up-WireGuard-VPN-on-Linux.jpg) ### [How To Set Up WireGuard VPN on Linux](/wireguard-vpn/) Learn how to set up WireGuard VPN on Linux to securely connect and access your network, in this step-by-step tutorial! ![](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/26995-troubleshoot-dns-issues-powershell-codex.webp) ### [Troubleshoot DNS Issues with PowerShell](/troubleshoot-dns-issues-powershell/) Troubleshoot DNS issues with PowerShell by testing name resolution, DNS client settings, cache entries, and network connectivity in a repeatable workflow. ![](https://adamtheautomator.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/powershell-ip-configuration.jpg) ### [PowerShell IP Configuration: A Beginner’s Guide to Windows Settings](/powershell-ip-configuration/) Master PowerShell IP Configuration: Learn to set up and troubleshoot network IPs on Windows effortlessly. A comprehensive guide for efficient network management. ## Categories * [IT Ops](/category/it-ops/) * [Cloud](/category/cloud/) * [DevOps](/category/devops/) * [Home Ops](/category/home-ops/) * [Information Security](/category/infosec/) * [Software Development](/category/software-development/) ## Site * [Home](/) * [Tutorials](/tutorials/) * [Instructors](/author/) * [Advertising](/advertising/) * [Recommended Resources](/resources/) * [About Adam](/about-adam/) Copyright 2026© ATA Learning | [Privacy Policy](/privacy/)